Shinobiville
by Confucius
Summary: Yondaime found Naruto 16 yrs ago during the meteor shower. Watch how life treats the blond into becoming a man – a Superman. Old allies with their own unique abilities are called to help stop the Akatsuki from summoning the dark one. [NaruTemari]
1. Beginning of a Legend

Shinobiville

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and DC Comic characters.

Italics: Thoughts

Chapter 1 – Beginning of a Legend

On the night where Kyuubi was planning to feed his hunger, something strange happened. It was if the sky was falling, marking the end of the world. Tons of meteors struck the Hidden Leaf Village without warning. Many died while some were left homeless and alone. One of the rocks slammed down from the heaven and landed right next to the Hokage Tower. Yondaime was one of the lucky ones whose life was spared. While everyone was in a state of panic, Yondaime went to check out what it was that almost killed him. What he found was a metal object that he has never seen before. Some sort of door opened when he tried to examine the object. To his surprise, inside was a blond baby boy with blue eyes. The child looked at him with full attention and gave him a very cute smile. Yondaime cautiously picked the child up into his arms and continued to survey the village and investigate the unseen attack.

16 Years Later

"Hey Ero-sennin, isn't it time for us to return to Konoha?" asked a teenage Naruto. The blond Genin had grown tall over the years as his growth spurt finally kicked in. No longer was he the little shrimp whom was over looked by everyone. The academy years weren't very kind to him, since most people thought he was a lower classman even though he was a year ahead. He is dawned with blue clothing and red fighting gloves.

"We'll be coming back when I feel you are ready to come back," answered the Jiraiya. "It's true that you have grown very strong over the years but I can still see room for improvement. Your dad told me to look after you after that Sasuke incident. He knows that you have an abnormally high chakra reserve and wanted me to train you on how to use them effectively."

"Say, am I stronger than my dad back when he was my age?"

"Not that question again. Your dad was a very brilliant ninja, which is why he is the Hokage now. It's hard to compare to someone like him." Jiraiya laughed hard but that was only a distraction. He didn't want to answer 'yes' and make the boy arrogant. Naruto had grown tremendously after their journey began. The boy's strength and speed today could not be compared to the Naruto of three years ago. Furthermore, his chakra reserves seem to have grown larger, giving the boy what looks to be unlimited stamina. The blond boy soaked up jutsus like a sponge and a couple of them were high level jutsu that depletes a large amount of chakra. What he finds amazing is that Naruto recovers seconds after performing those jutsus.

"Where are we going now?"

"We're going to visit an old friend of mine," said the toad sennin. "He is more of Tsunade's friend actually but I know the person. He's the head of a large clan and I'm hoping he has some information about the Akatsuki.

A few days later, the duo made it to town.

Naruto surveyed the town and felt something familiar about the place. "I think I've been here before."

"We're in the Tea Country now kid."

"Tea Country? Oh right, I had a mission here before. There is something here called the Todori Burning Fire Race that happens ever four years. Two of the large clans in this country don't get along and so by orders of the feudal lords, they compete against each other in a race to see who will gain superiority over the other. My team and I guarded the runner from the Wasabi Clan who hired us after getting the word that the opposing clan, the Wagarashi Clan planned to cheat by hiring shinobis from the Hidden Rain."

Jiraiya was amused. "So you know Jirochou then. That's good because we're going to pay him a visit."

"So that's who we're here to see."

The village hasn't changed a bit from what Naruto remembered. Only that the place was more cheery and less gloomy as the last time he was here. Suddenly, he heard a commotion coming from his left.

As Jiraiya and Naruto got to the scene, they saw a couple of drunks not wanting to pay their bar tab. The drunks were arguing with the bar owners and the situation looks like it could get out of hand. Before Naruto could act, he saw a red and yellow blur for a split instance and vanished. The drunks were knocked out and the owners had a bag of gold in their hands.

"What just happened?" a confused Naruto asked.

"Someone fast just came back and took care of the job." Jiraiya looked at his student seriously. "I've never seen someone that fast Naruto. He is likely faster than you."

_The world is such a big place. I didn't think it was possible to go any faster than me but here in this village there is someone. I still got a long way to go._

"It's good to see you again Boss Jirochou," Naruto greeted. "How have you been doing?"

The head of the Wasabi smiled as he saw that Naruto was as energetic as ever. "I'm doing very well thanks to you and your team. You've gotten a lot taller." Jirochou looked at the older man standing next to the blond ninja. "Jiraiya?"

The toad sennin was a bit miffed at his old friend. "What? You don't recognize me because I'm not Tsunade?"

"Don't be like that Jiraiya. It's just that we have not seen each other for so long. Come, let us get some drinks and talk about old times." Jirochou gestures his old friend to sit down and have a drink. He then arches his head towards the door to call for some drinks to be brought in. "Idate! I have a special guest today. Can you bring some sake?"

Immediately, bottles of sake appeared on the table from thin air.

Naruto was shocked to see that. Then he felt a presence next to him. As he turned to have a look, he found his old friend Idate beside him. Idate still dressed simply like before but changed into red and yellow garbs. He wore yellow shorts and a red shirt. "You were that blur we saw at that bar today."

Idate gave his friend a shocked look. "You were there? Anyways, let's go out and talk and let them drink."

"It looks like you've gotten faster," said Naruto.

Idate kept walking and stopped at a nearby tree in the garden of his master's house. "Yeah, I think it happened weeks after we departed. I was running errands for Boss Jirochou when suddenly I got attacked by men from the Wagarashi Clan. They have a huge grudge against me for winning the race. It was then that I burst into high speed. Those Wagarashi Clansmen looked as if they were standing still throughout the whole time I fought them. From then on, I've been going in and out of places like a flash."

Naruto was puzzled. Usually it takes months to years of hard training to reach the speed Idate was going. Then again, Ero-sennin said that he improved greatly more over others who underwent the same training regime. "You didn't do any special training?"

"Nope. I just got fast all of a sudden. I can't even explain it."

"Perhaps it's a bloodline limit."

"Maybe, but my brother doesn't have this speed and I never heard our family saying anything about this. Anyways, it just mysteriously appeared on that day. How are your other teammates?"

This earned a sad expression from Naruto. "They are both dead."

This gave Idate quite a shock. It seems like the day was full of surprise. "How?"

"It was a little after we departed. Our village's sworn enemy Orochimaru sent some of his shinobis to abduct the last member of the Uchiha Clan. This wasn't the first time he attacked Konoha. That snake allied with the Sand Village and attacked the Leaf during the Chuunin Exam three years ago. All of the Leaf Ninjas lead by my father drove them away. There were many deaths on both sides. One of people that died was my Jounin sensei. The Third also died in the attack. He was the main target whom Orochimaru wanted dead. Anyways, the Sound shinobis abducted Uchiha Sasuke who was actually willing to go. My father sent my team and a few Chuunins to recover him. However the mission was a failure with my teammates ended up dieing."

"I can remember that day as if it was yesterday. You wouldn't like what I saw. I was so close in bringing Sasuke back but he did something unexpected. He changed, morphed into a winged demon and made a hole on my chest. Tsunade-obachan said I would have died too if not for my quick healing which aided in the healing jutsu the medic-nins preformed on me. This is why I am here now I guess. I'm on a training mission so that there won't be anymore deaths while I'm here."

The conversation between the two lasted even till the afternoon. Both decided they were hungry and chose to eat at a restaurant.

"You know, I have been hearing about you lately," said Idate. "With my speed, I get to travel to any place I want and still come home in time for supper. Everywhere I go I hear the name Naruto the Superman and the exploits of how you save people."

Naruto laughed. "I'm just as surprised as you are. Picturing me wondering around town and hearing my name with a goofy title and then hear heroic stories about how I vanquish evil and the like. With that speed of yours, I may eventually start to hear your name mention at places as well."

"You bet because when I start moving, everything else starts slowing."

Naruto was looking at the time and wondered what the old pervert was doing. "You think its okay for you to leave right now? What if those old men finished all the drinks you brought?"

"Don't worry about it. The new guy we hired will be able to get them more drinks if needed. His name is Umenokouji Taski I believe."

Moments later, someone dashed into the restaurant and caused a scene.

"Please, anyone! They have my wife and daughter! Someone save them!"

When the guys turn towards the person making the noise, they saw the bar owner from earlier today.

Idate blinked and reappeared quickly in front of the bar owner. "Sir, what's wrong? Who has your wife and daughter?"

"It was those drunken men who refused to pay their tab. They said they are from the Wagarashi Clan and demanded payment for the humiliation they've suffered. But it wasn't me who knocked them out though. Please help me."

From hearing the story, Idate felt guilty since this was partly his fault. "Where are they?"

"At the Wagarashi Main House. They said to have the money by eight tonight."

Idate nodded his head. "Don't worry, I'll get your family back safely in a flash." The ex-ninja of the Leaf zoomed out of the building and headed toward the Wagarashi Main House. At the moment, time seemed to have stopped as he maneuvers himself around the street full of people. To him, the people were just standing still like lifeless dummies. Even the leaves that were falling from the trees were just laying still in midair. Idate was now in a world where maybe only he was able to travel.

"You do know this is the second time you left me to pay the tab don't you?" Naruto asked.

The ex-Leaf ninja's eyes widen. He turned his head back and saw Naruto running behind him. He was shocked since this was the first time anyone was able to follow him with this speed. "What the? How are you able to run this fast?"

"Don't know. Like you I was just able to gain this type of speed without special training. I haven't even attached weights to my legs before."

"Well, you can just run back because I don't need your help. This is my mess so I'll clean it up on my own."

"Didn't you learn anything about teamwork from our last meeting?"

As soon as Idate reached a block away from the Wagarashi Main House, he stopped running. Naruto followed his friend's action.

"That large compound there is the Wagarashi Main House. Now like I said before, I don't need your help Naruto. When I get in there, those people would just be standing still to me."

"You know what; speed isn't the only thing you gained. Your arrogance meter is off the charts."

"Look, just stay here at this tea shop and wait for my return." Not saying another word, Idate ran into the compound. In minutes, Idate pretty much covered the whole area of the compound and still haven't found any traces of the kidnapped victims. I guess it would help to know what they look like, he thought. With no where else to run, he decided to take a short break and create a plan. It was then he heard a conversation concerning the next Todori Burning Fire Race.

Idate got closer to the closed room to overhear the conversation. It seemed that the new head of the Wagarashi Clan plans on cheating yet again on the next race that was coming up next year. He heard before that the ex-head of the Clan suffered from illness and passed away a year ago. Now his son is taking charge of the family operations. Like his father, this guy is wicked, he thought. He started to clench his fist tightly. The next thing he overheard was how the enemies were planning to kill Boss Jirochou so that the Wasabi Clan would become weak and disorientated before the race. They even have a spy planted in the Wasabi Main House under the name Umenokouji Taski and the assassination is planned for tonight.

Idate was downright pissed and was about to storm inside the room when a guard spotted him. The feeling of being caught washed away his angry emotions. Before he could be caught, Idate went into hyper drive. As he was running, he remembered what his original purpose was and continued to look for the bar owner's missing family. Unknown to Idate, the guard that caught him eavesdropping was ordered to turn on all traps within the compound.

Naruto the Superman was sipping a cup of tea relaxingly until he heard explosions coming from the Wagarashi Main House. Immediately, he follows pursuit of his friend.

All the guards were now on high alert. The ex-Leaf ninja had activated a couple of traps as he was running. By the time the explosion occurred, Idate was already away from the scene. To his dislike, most of the guards ran out from their rooms and started patrolling the area. What seems to be a blessing in disguise came when he notice the kidnappers coming out from a hidden entrance behind the man-size waterfall within the backyard garden.

Working his feet once more, Idate ran into the secret room and knocked out the guards inside. Once his fist connected a face, he instantly ran towards the next guard following with the same attack. All five guards were knocked out in seconds. Idate looked around the room and saw it was some type of prison and storage area combined. Inside one of the prison cell, he saw a middle-aged lady with a little girl. He quickly searches the guards for the key and opened the prison cell. "Don't worry, I'm a friend. I'm here to save you and bring you back home."

Unlucky for the ex-Leaf ninja, the kidnappers were back and called for reinforcements once they saw a stranger inside the hidden room. Sweat started to flow down Idate's face as the only exit was now barricaded.

"We really need to work on teamwork," said a voice coming from outside the entrance. A figure stepped into view and it turns out to be Naruto. As Naruto walked towards his friend, he skillfully knocks out the opponents with power and speed. He sent his right elbow to the solarplex of a guy on his right then a back fist to the guy on his right which follows by a straight punch with his left with another guy on the left. A man pulled out a sword he was carrying and swung it at the blond Genin. Naruto simply caught the blade between his index and middle finger and snap it in half. Next, he delivers what appears to be an open palm strike to the man's forehead to knock the person out like the rest. This continues on until there was no one else as he reaches Idate.

The blond Genin bowed to the lady. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I have come here to save you and your daughter." Another man came from the entrance and ran towards Naruto only to be knocked aside into some wooden crates. Black powder started spilling out from the crates.

"We have to hurry out of here Naruto. I overhead the new head of the Wagarashi Clan. They plan to kill Boss Jirochou and they hired Taski to do it."

"Who's Taski?" Naruto asked.

"I told you, he's the new guy we hired around the house. His background seemed okay so we hired him without a problem."

As the group got outside of the hidden room, they found themselves surrounded by more guards.

"Is it me or has the Wagarashi Clan grown bigger since the last time I saw them." Naruto surveyed his opponents and didn't see anyone that could pose a problem.

"You must be very skilled if you took down all those men," said the current head of the Wagarashi Clan. "My name is Umenokouji Nakago."

"Umenokouji?" Idate repeated. "What relations do you have with Umenokouji Taski?"

"He's my younger brother. The two of us are adopted by the late head of the Wagarashi Clan. Since the man couldn't have children on his own, he adopted us." The well clothed man stepped forward. "My guard tells me that you have overheard my conversation about Jirochou of the Wasabi Clan. I cannot allow any of you to leave. Please stay and become permanent guest of our clan."

"You must be joking if you think we are going to fall for that. I'm Morino Idate from the Wasabi Clan."

"So you are the winner of the last Todori Burning Fire Race. Even more reason not to let you leave."

Naruto stepped up in front of the woman and child. "Let the lady and child go. They are innocent in all of this."

"And whom would you be to order me around?" Nakago asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto, a lowly ninja of the Hidden Leaf."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" The name rung a bell inside Nakago's head. "You must be Superman whom I have heard so much about. I've heard many stories about you. You're a busybody that sticks his nose where it doesn't belong am I correct?" With a wave of his hand, he commands his men to start attacking. "Not one of them live past tonight."

The majority of the men carried swords while two men beside Nakago carried bows and arrows

Naruto formed quick hand seals. "Katon - Housenka no Jutsu!" Naruto started to blow out multiple fireballs from his mouth. The jutsu was very effective on multiple and moving targets.

The little girl and her mom were surprised that there was no heat given off from the fireball. Unknown to them, Naruto used a smaller amount of chakra then what was needed, making the jutsu less deadly. The attack was only meant to knock the opponent unconscious. Not one opponent was left standing but one person remained conscious. Although the fireballs were very light, it did manage to set a couple of small areas on fire.

"Warn me before you do something like that," Idate stated. He then turned to his clan's enemy. "That's low Nakago. You used your own men as a shield."

"That is what they were paid to do."

Idate was thinking of ending Nakago's life. It was a fitting way for someone whose heart was black as coal.

"Don't kill him if you don't have to," said Naruto. Naruto was one who doesn't like senseless killings. He began to hate death since he was a child. There were many times when ninjas stormed into his home and report about deaths and such with his father. Being a ninja himself meant he needed to kill at some point. Naruto had thought long and hard and believes if it meant protecting someone, killing was unfortunately necessary. Therefore, to kill was okay but not senseless killing where you can avoid it.

"You know what he's going to do. I should just kill him now before it's harder to do so later."

"If he takes this chance and repents, it is worth letting him go."

Seeing that the two intruders were distracted, Nakago quickly picked up his guard's bow and arrow. The arrow held some burning grass of its head. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." Nakago let loose the arrow and it went sailing towards the hidden room behind the waterfall.

Naruto saw the arrow coming. He moved his head aside and let the arrow harmlessly pass by.

Nakago stood there laughing while Idate landed several punches on his face. Everything seemed fine again until the little girl screamed.

With inhuman speed, Naruto turned around and saw a giant wall of fire coming out from the hidden room. The fire was just inches away from them and Naruto almost hit himself for letting down his guard and reacting too late. He maneuvered himself in front of the entrance to the hidden room with his back facing it. He was holding onto both the mother and child in his arms in hopes he could at least shield them from the approaching fire.

Fire shot out of the room and engulf the area with flame. The radius surrounding the entrance of the hidden room was burnt while everything else was untouched. Both Idate and Nakago were knocked down from the blast. As Idate got up, he saw that his blond friend had shielded the family with his own body.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" Idate ran towards his friend and placed a hand his friend's shoulder. He quickly lifted his hand away because it felt like he was touching an open flame. Naruto's back was boiling hot from the heat given by the fire.

Naruto looked at his friend and leased the mother and child from his embrace. "Are you both okay?"

The bar owner's family nodded their heads and said they weren't harmed.

"How did you survive from that man?" Idate asked. "Are you hurt?"

The blond ninja stood up and stretched. "I don't know how it's possible but I'm not even slightly hurt. Where is Nakago?"

"Out cold. Do you still want to let him go?"

"One strike and you're out. I gave him a chance and he didn't take it. Do whatever you want with him."

The bar owner was extremely happy that his family returned to him. They have been say thank you nonstop.

"Looks like they forgot that I had a hand in this rescue," Idate said sadly. "It looks like another story is going to be added into your heroic tale." Idate looked at his watch frantically and disappeared.

_That's right. Nakago wants old man Jirochou dead. It should be okay with Ero-sennin there. Well, it's better to be safe than sorry I guess._

When Naruto got to the facility, he saw Idate standing next to Jirochou with a wrapped up Taki on the ground.

"So I guess you made it in time and captured the spy," said Naruto.

"No, it wasn't me. Turns out Jiraiya-sama apprehended him after noticing poison in the drinks. Luckily he noticed it right away after Taski brought out the new batch of sake."

"Looks like I owe you once again Naruto," said Jirochou. "Idate explained part of the story to me already. I'll have someone contact the feudal lords and have them take over this case. Murder and attempted murder is something very serious in the Tea Country."

Naruto nodded his head. "So where is Ero-sennin?"

"Jiraiya left moments after Taski was caught. He said he has urgent business to take care of and wants you to meet up with him immediately tomorrow morning at the Hot Spring Village."

"Think he just want to peep on girls." Naruto started to worry for his old master. The old man should just find someone and settle down or something, he thought.

"Where's Idate?" Naruto asked. He wanted to say goodbye to his friend before he departed.

"I'm not sure but I have a feeling you'll see each other again."

The blond Genin nodded his had and disappeared from sight.

Once again, time seemed to have stopped as Naruto was traveling at top speed. Strangely enough, he felt someone approaching behind him.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

"So you finally showed your face now huh Idate. I'm going to meet up with Jiraiya at the Hot Springs Village. Maybe I'll find myself a girlfriend when I'm there."

"And I'm running errand at Cow Village. They have the best beef there and Boss Jirochou wanted me to get some for the feast tonight with the feudal lords. I did the hero thing. I decided to let Nakago go and let the justice system handle him."

Naruto laughed. "Why don't you come back to the Hidden Leaf? I bet you miss the place."

"No reason to come back that's all. I don't have the face to come back anymore. I would only be causing my brother problems."

"I'm sure he misses you. They say blood is thicker than water. Beside, we can form a new team or a league or something. With my strength and our speed together, we'll be unstoppable."

"There's only a trial there that's waiting for me for the crime I committed. I'm already listed in the books as being dead. It is better that way."

"You can't continue to run away forever you know. You may run fast but the past is known to catch up with you no matter how far you run. Like on our last meeting, you got to reunite with your brother."

"The Tea Country is my new home now Naruto. Boss Jirochou is my Hokage and the Wasabi Clan is my Hidden Leaf Village."

Naruto understood the difficult position his friend was in. Even though the Sword of Raijin and the jutsu scroll have been returned to the village, the fact that he had a hand in its disappearance still remains. Perhaps he could have a chat with his father about this when he gets back.

Idate smiled. "Tell you what. If you can catch me, I'll think about it." With that said and done, Idate increased his speed and ran in front of Naruto.

Naruto also increased his speed but found that he couldn't keep up. Seconds later, Idate waved goodbye to him and increase even more speed and disappeared from sight.

_Damn that guy. He was holding back his speed. Anyway, off to __Hot Springs__Village__ to meet up with Ero-sennin. _

Author's Notes:

This is a Naruto Crossover with DC Comics. Naruto is a blond hair, blue eyes Kyptonian without Kyuubi sealed within him. He is going to gain some new abilities but lose of what he has now. Some might say that Naruto's powers are downgraded. Superman's powers will be enhanced due to the ninja training. Anyways, as you can see, I changed the original story around a bit so that this story would work. Naruto may be a boy-scout now but wait until he gets a hold of **Red Kryptonite**.

**Uzumaki**** Naruto - Superman**

**Powers:** Naruto's Kryptonian body act as a living solar battery that stores yellow light coming from the sun. The solar energy within his body heightens all normal human ability hundreds of times over. Like in the DC Comics, Naruto will gain new powers as his body matures. Super strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, super hearing, heightened nose, x-ray vision, infrared vision, telescope vision, heat vision, holding breath for a long time, blow cold temperature from mouth

**Morino**** Idate - The Flash**

**Powers:** Body can move at super speed that can travel as fast as the speed of light. Powers comes from the Speed Force, a realm still unknown. When traveling at light speed, the Flash merges with the Speed Force. The Flash is able to vibrate his body and pass through solid object.


	2. Past and Present

Shinobiville

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and DC Comic characters.

Italics: Thoughts

Chapter 2 – Past and Present

Hot Springs Village is a place that is on everyone's to go list. Hot water from the springs are natural, giving the village authenticity. There are many hot spring resorts in the village with their own different style of decoration. That was the only way each resort can compete against each other. Tourist decides for themselves what style and theme they want and attends that resort. Of course, tourists usually stay in the village for a couple of days which means every resort get customers who wants to try something new. Each home in the village even has their own personal hot springs where they can enjoy a private hot soak

With the speed Naruto was going, he overshot Jiraiya and made it to the Hot Springs Village first. It takes approximately two days to get here from the Wasabi Clan if the Old Pervert Sennin doesn't make any stops. This gave Naruto time to do the things he wants to do such as visiting the local casinos. It was a habit he got from Tsunade who took him outside the village once in awhile to help her win money and pay off her debt. It was a good tradeoff. She got to have her debt paid off while Naruto got away from the village and learned technique on how to use his already insane strength more efficiently. Since he was still underage, he had to use Henge no Jutsu to get through the doors.

It was in a casino a few months ago that he discovered to have an x-ray vision ability that works similar to the Hyuuga Clan's Byakugan. Although he can't see the chakra system within the body, he could still see through solid objects besides things made of lead. The dealer at the dice table had been cheating at the time by changing the number of the dice to suit his winnings. It was the first time Naruto was losing since he always had amazing luck with gambling. The x-ray vision began to kick in once he badly wants to see if the dealer was being underhanded. After that event, Naruto began to practice his doujutsu and found many different ways to use it.

A few days later, Jiraiya finally managed to arrive. He was rather tired from the journey so he planned to rest for awhile before enjoying life at the Hot Springs Village.

"We're going to head back to the Hidden Leaf soon kiddo," said Jiraiya. "I promised your father that I would look after you for three years which I did."

Naruto's expression became sad. "Do I really have to go back?"

"You know that you would have to one of these days. Don't you want to see your father again? Don't you miss your friends?"

"Sure I miss him but I don't have many friends. You know how it is for me back at home. I could hardly walk around the village without being sick all the time. Most of the time I stayed indoors at home where I train and study. In fact, that was the reason why I'm here in the first place. Dad thought it was best for me to get out of the village and stay away from the green glowing meteor rocks. Whenever I am near them, I felt sharp pain throughout my body and all my strength disappears. People use to think I was weak and stuff."

"But you aren't weak right? You kicked that Hyuuga's genius butt during the Chuunin Exam."

"Because people thought the green meteor rocks were beautiful, they started to wear them as accessories. That was the reason why I couldn't leave the house until there was a mission outside the village or you or Tsunade brought me out. The Chuunin exam was very important so I inspected the arena and made sure there weren't any meteor rocks that would cause me to not perform in top condition. Everything was alright until the next day I found out Neji was carrying a rock on the bracelet it wore. Talk about a bad case of luck."

"Dad said I amazed a lot of people by performing some high level jutsus and showing off my insane speed and strength. I knew I had to stay a long distance away from Neji because of the green rock. If I got around fifteen feet from it, the fight would be over. Everything was going fine until I grab a huge chuck of earth from the ground and planned to throw it at Neji. That guy shot an explosive kunai at the earth I was carrying and then I got blinded by the dust. He used that time to dash towards me and hit all 64 of my chakra points. He didn't let up after that either, because he hit the chakra point again that supposedly damages the heart."

"I guess he was pissed that I was giving him a hard time when I was suppose to be weak. A genius like himself was nearly beaten by a weakling like me really hurt his pride. I don't know how but I still managed to move around. However thanks to the combine forces of the meteor rocks and the attack, I started coughing out blood. I used that blood to summon a toad before I was going to pass out."

Jiraiya was laughing hard. "Yeah, I remember how hard it was for you to bite your thumb and produce blood to perform a summoning. We had to use the green meteor rocks to weaken you in order to draw some blood."

"I was lucky enough to be able to summon Gamakichi with the strength I had left. He used his long tongue to snatch that meteor rock and ran away with it. He bought me some time to regain my strength. Neji was furious and attacked me again by hitting all 64 chakra points for the second time. It must be embarrassing that he has to do so much work while all I did was slap his forehead once to knock him down. I still don't know how I could survive through that fight. I was so sure I was a goner."

"A lot of people from the audience cheered and clapped for me. It was one of the first times I felt like a winner except of the opposite. Back at the academy, I was overshadowed by Uchiha Sasuke even though I did well on everything. Everyone liked him because he was different and special due to his bloodline. On the other hand, I was thought as weak and often been compared to him by the other kids."

"Things got a bit better when father outlawed the use of the green rocks after Konoha was attacked. He already knew the rocks were bad since it hurts me, so he had the special medical ninjas to do research on them for years. They found out that long exposure to the rocks gives people cancer among other diseases. Some people around the village already contracted the disease so father banned the use of it. It takes about as short as one year of exposure to contract the disease while some may take longer. People can recover if they haven't contract the disease by letting their cell heal overtime without any more exposure; however once you have the disease, its there for good. Those rocks work their magic a lot faster with me for unknown reason, which is what I want to find out. I want to be able to walk around Konoha like everybody else without collapsing on the street. It's a simple goal of mine. Sure, people may not wear those rocks anymore but it still on the ground and hidden at places where I don't expect."

"So what did Boss Jirochou tell you?" Naruto asked. "Did he have any information about the Akatsuki?"

"No, he said he hasn't heard of anything but he will contact us once he does. However, Jirochou gave me something as equally important. There seems to be a ninja from the Hidden Sound who has been making a lot of fuss lately. A member of their own version of the Anbus has been killing many ninjas from different villages. Only the ninjas of the Leaf have been spared, at least for now. That person has also earned a name that is beginning to spread out like yours but more infamous. Like all Sound-nins, he dresses in black and wears a mask of a bat. The mask itself is already freaky but the ninja's eye makes it even more fearsome. The eye color is red while there is a black fan wheel in the center."

"Red eyes and black fan wheel? The Sharingan?"

"He is called The Dark Shinobi, also known as Uchiha Sasuke the Batman."

It was nighttime now and Jiraiya was off to bed after a nice soak at the Hot Springs. He was frustrated because the only resort to have mixed bathe was closed due to renovations. They put up a sign to advertise their new and improve resort, which is scheduled to open in another week. By that time, they would be on their way to Konoha.

Naruto decided to take a short stroll around the village while he was thinking. He hasn't heard any information about Sasuke until now. He touched the right side of his chest and remembers how Sasuke made a hole there with his Chidori at the Valley of the End. It was freaky how the Uchiha suddenly changes into a winged demon which dramatically increased his powers. He was able to break through his invulnerability but not so much as going right through. Kakashi made it to the scene a little later and carried him home. The fist size wound had already sealed itself without any trace it was there by the time they got back to the village.

Sasuke wasn't all that bad of a person. He could have killed him but chose not too. In Naruto's point of view, there are still some things in Sasuke that was more important than revenge. Was it ties to the village, ties to his friends, or was it because Yondaime was his father that he was spared? No one knows the answer except Sasuke. Perhaps, the Uchiha hasn't gone to the deep end yet and may still redeem himself. Naruto always believed in redemption. If not, how could his teammates forgive him without getting Sasuke back and accomplishing the last mission they went on together? It sounds like Sasuke had gotten stronger but so did he.

That particular year really sucked for Naruto. Hayate-sensei was killed during the month preparations for the Chuunin Examination. His two teammates were also killed during the mission to retrieve Sasuke. They were killed during the fight against Kimimaru, the ninja with the bloodline that enables him to control his bones freely. His invulnerability wasn't as strong as it was now. Some of the attack managed to place bruises on his body. His teammate Fuki had sacrificed his life needlessly by shielding Kasumi and him from the bone fingertip, shot forward by the enemy. Naruto asked him why and Fuki answered simply that he had forgotten how strong Naruto was and that he wanted to protect them both. This was the first time Naruto faced with a death of a friend. He became enraged and attack Kimimaru with all the strength and speed he got.

The Sound-nin was forced to use his level two curse seal after seeing his own bones breaking apart like twigs from the insane attacks. However even with the completed transformation, Kimimaru is still unable to match Naruto in terms of power. That was when an idea formed in the Sound-nin's head. Kimimaru ran away and plans to attack Kasumi instead. He knew the blond would come and stop him; therefore he laid a trap on the ground. As the blond came as predicted, spikes of bone shot out of the ground and immobilize Naruto like a bird in a cage.

Kimimaru's arm suddenly was encased by thick level of bones that he had condensed into diamond like hardness. To Naruto's shock, Kasumi tried to stop him but ends up being the first victim of the attack. Rage once again filled Naruto like never before. Naruto was already naturally strong but Tsunade's strength enhancement training made him into a monster. He moved his body around furiously like a wild man and broke out from the barrage of spikes. As Kimimaru charged him with his diamond hard bone lance, Naruto meets him with the Rasengan. The Rasengan tore up Kimimaru's arm and was sent flying with Naruto's free hand. The sheer power of the punch broke his harden skull and damaged the nerves in his brain.

Before he died from the attack and the disease he had, Kimimaru let loose what was his final attack. Diamond hard spikes shot out from the ground again, but this time it covered what seems to be the entire valley. Naruto was unharmed by the spikes as he dodges the sharp tips and sticks to one of them like a spider to a wall. The blond looks at his hand and saw that his opponent's weapon had indeed pierce into his hand before crumbling in the sight of the Rasengan. Naruto took a little breather to mourn his friend's death before continuing his one man chase after Sasuke.

Naruto was still on his short stroll until he saw a hawk above him. Without thinking, Naruto blew a whistle to call the hawk down. The bird as if commanded by the whistle flew down and landed on the blonde's left hand. He was always good with birds since they were around the house a lot. Birds usually carry messages in and out from his home so he gets to play with them. Birds were an amazing creature to Naruto. They get to fly freely in the air without any problems. Unlike him, they don't have to worry about being sick wherever they go. Suddenly, he senses killing intent.

Many kunais and shurikens flew towards Naruto. With his free hand, the blond caught a mixture of shurikens and kunais in the middle of his fingers while doing the same with his right foot. Another kunai was flung at him, which he simply caught with his mouth. Fear came to the attacker once Naruto started crumbling the weapons with his hand and snapping a kunai apart with his toes. He could tell the attacker was female but can't exactly see whom it was or even what village she belongs too. Naruto drops all the mashed up weapons and tosses the kunai from his mouth back to his attacker. The female ninja dodges by shifting her head away. In that spilt second, Naruto ran up and caught the sailing kunai from behind the girl and place it at her throat.

Once he had gotten closer, Naruto saw a face that hasn't seen in years. "Aren't you Neji and Lee's teammate? What are you doing here?"

Tenten turned her face around to see who it was that knows her. To her surprise it was Naruto, the boy who took down Neji at the Chuunin Exam three years ago. It was a feat that she thought couldn't happen. "Naruto?"

The two began to walk beside each other and talk about old times.

"So how is everyone doing these days?"

"It's the same as usual. Everyone is doing fine. The village has been quite busy preparing for the next Chuunin Exam. What are you going to do about it?"

Naruto was confused. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know? I hear that you are the only one in your class that is still a Genin."

"What was that? Everyone is a Chuunin now but me?"

"That's right, even Lee and I are both Chuunins while Neji is now a Jounin. I still have to thank you for that. The things you told him had changed him. You told him that we each choose our own destiny and if we wanted freedom, we will have to fight for it instead of waiting for it to be handed to us. He also promised not to do stupid things again like involving innocent people in his quest."

Naruto starts to remember back at that time. "Yeah, I told him that I would help him if he wishes to gain freedom but stop him if he involves innocent people again."

"Hiashi-san had a long talk with Neji. He has been happier ever since. They say that he would have remained a Genin throughout his life if he continued to think the way he did. Anyways, thank you." Tenten looks at the blond beside her and a feint blush appeared on her face. "You've gotten taller than me now. It also seems like you have gotten a lot stronger too. I would have died if it someone else from another village."

Naruto smiled at the comment. It looks like people are finally beginning to notice him. "So why did you attack me back there?"

"The hawk you have is supposed to have a message for me. I thought you were an enemy ninja so…."

"So you jumped in conclusion and could have killed an innocent person or even a member of our Hidden Leaf."

"Sorry." Tenten felt ashamed now. She had attacked him without thinking. But for her to apologize like this without complaining or arguing, it meant that she has great respect for him.

"Anyways, let's read what the message says." He felt bad about lecturing her but it was the appropriate thing to say in this situation. He just doesn't like senseless killing.

Tenten took the note and began reading. Her head shot up and looks at Naruto for support. "Lee is in trouble. He was supposed to meet me here after our last mission but he got sidetracked with something else along the way. He spotted some suspicious Sound-nins and is following them. It seems like they are planning something and Lee went out to find what that is. He wants reinforcement."

"Understood, Jiraiya is also here with me but he is asleep. That old man is hard to wake up when he starts snoring. I'll go and leave him a message so that he'll follow us once he's ready." Naruto ran back to his room and prepares his tools for the upcoming mission. Before leaving, he left the note by the table.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I'm hoping to introduce the plot next chapter. Seems like the Akatsuki is up to something big and every villages is going to be in trouble, not just the Leaf.


End file.
